Growing up in the 90s I remember my grandfather owning a Fiat Premier Padmani. Apart from the love I had for the car. He had a neat piece of tech that sat on his dashboard. It was a portable TV. And he could watch TV while he drove on the empty streets back then. Everything was different back then. We have the means to watch what we want, when we want, anytime and anywhere.
I received the Asus Vivobook Slate 13 Slate much before the launch. It sat on my table unused and unpacked for a couple of days before I unboxed it. And man, I had a great unboxing experience. The box included the Tab, the carry sleeve, the keyboard and the hardback magnetic cover. Oh yes, there was also the Asus Stylus Pen. To me, this was a complete work package that I need for my travels and work. I immediately started using this setup as my daily driver. And this is even before my scheduled briefing with the Asus team, to discuss the specs and features of the Slate 13.
Before the briefing, the Asus Vivobook Slate 13 was a daily workhorse for me. I could write my emails and work on a script on the go. Watch the first cuts sent by the video team and send back my changes. Or occasionally watch some Netflix on the superb 13.3 inch 1920x1080 AMOLED display to break away from the workflow. Yes, I could not use the Slate 13 to edit video in premiere pro or add some finishing touches to a RAW image in photoshop. Intel's Pentium N6000 processor with 8GB of RAM was just enough to handle Windows 11 and some daily usable apps for work. To me, it was a sort of a letdown. I was expecting more from this device for the kind of package it was. Then the Briefing happened...
Imagine my surprise when I was told, that the Asus Vivobook Slate 13 was going to be positioned as a personal OLED TV over a computer. Yes, heard me right. And I have been using a TV for work. Suddenly everything about the Slate 13 made sense. It's a gorgeous 13.3-inch display with the perfect for watching content and was power efficient. The four speakers provided good stereo sound and were loud enough to fill up a small room. I was suddenly reminded of my childhood days when I imagined myself owning a portable TV someday. I was there, but my TV was better. I could watch content for hours in amazing detail, play games, browse the internet and stay productive.
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The Slate 13 has a power button on the top and two-volume rocker buttons on the side. There are other connectivity features like an audio jack on the side, a microSD card slot, and two USB 3.2 Type-C ports, either suitable for the AC adapter on the left. The is a front-facing 5-megapixel webcam that serves for video calls and a 13-megapixel rear just in case you feel like taking pictures using the giant screen as a viewfinder.
There is but one thing I did not like with the Slate 13. And that was the hardcover for the back which doubles as a stand. Though to magnets are pretty strong, the cover did manage to shift from its place on a few occasions during my usage. Ideally, it should not bother since most of the users will be using the Slate 13 as an entertainment device first and productivity if required. But one will have to be careful while kicking the stand out.
Overall the Asus Vivobook Slate 13 is a great package. There are other devices in the market that provide better performance over the Slate 13. But none of them can offer a better overall package price of RS 45990/-. Need I say more.